Global Green Announces Winner of Citizen Entrepreneur Contest, Along With 2nd and 3rd place Local Green Heroes

Winners are Heralded for Taking Responsibility for a Corner of their World, and Selected to Receive Support for their Green Community Projects

(Santa Monica, CA) -- Today Global Green announced the winner of their Citizen Entrepreneur Contest, a search for local green heroes: Cassie Parsons, a farmer and chef/owner of farm-to-table restaurant Harvest Moon Grille in Charlotte, NC.

Global Green also selected Auburn, CA, sophomore student Pierre Beauchamp for 2nd place in the contest, and Mahuya Barua, a high school student in Los Angeles, CA, for 3rd place. In addition, Global Green recognized five runners-up in its first-ever Citizen Entrepreneur Contest to honor local green heroes. Pierre, as the top student in the contest, will join the Green Cross/Global Green student delegation to the Rio+20 UN Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, later this month.

“To succeed in creating a sustainable future and combating climate change, we not only need leadership in our halls of government and corporate board rooms, we need to become a nation of citizen entrepreneurs,” said Matt Petersen, President and CEO of Global Green. “Cassie Norton – and each local green hero we recognize today – exemplifies the true spirit of a citizen entrepreneur: individuals who unleash their creativity and can do attitude in taking responsibility for a corner of their world.”

In February 2011, Global Green USA launched the contest to seek nominations online of those working on projects to green their corners of the world. Out of 130 nomination, thirteen finalists were announced in April and voting was opened to the public.

Originally, a $2000 prize was offered, $1000 from Global Green USA and $1000 from Seventh Generation. When presented at Global Green’s June 2 Millennium Awards ceremony, additional donors pledged funds to help increase the amount for the winner and to recognize additional local green heroes; these additional donations came from Lexus Hybrid, Anna Getty, and John Replogle, CEO of Seventh Generation.

WINNER: Cassie Parsons (Charlotte, NC), a farmer and chef/owner of farm-to-table restaurant Harvest Moon Grille, was named Global Green’s Citizen Entrepreneur Contest winner for her work to build an urban farm to provide healthy produce and economic opportunities for a low-income area. She will receive $3000 to help fund the Siegle Farm project.

“I'm thrilled to have this recognition,” said Parsons. “There is nothing better knowing you're a part of something that is about doing good, helping people to make money and spread the the word about local food. This award is going to go along way to help me realize my goal of establishing a whole network of urban gardens throughout Charlotte and make a real change in the food desserts."

2ND PLACE: Pierre Beauchamp (Auburn, CA), a high school aquaponic farmer who provides fresh and healthy food for his school's cafeteria, will receive $2000.

3rd PLACE: Mahuya Barua (Los Angeles, CA), a high school student who has worked to green her campus with the Alliance for Climate Education, will receive $1000.

Five additional runners-up will each receive $500:

- Macon Fry (New Orleans, LA), a mentor farmer at the Hollygrove Market and Farm and the Grow Dat Youth Farm, where he helps provide urban agriculture training and jobs for students

- Akansha Jain (Omaha, NE), a high school student who took on project to clean the Elkhorn River of toxins from fertilizers

- Michael Bauch (Long Beach, CA), who filmed a short documentary, "Riding Bikes with the Dutch" and is working to make biking easier and safer in Long Beach